Future on Display: Penn State shows off its new pieces in blowout win
Nobody buys a brand new car to keep it locked up in a garage forever.
The same can be said about Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry and the flashy additions made to the Nittany Lions roster this offseason. During Thursday’s 90-65 steamroll over Loyola Maryland, Shrewsberry got the chance to take all of them for a spin around the block.
Leading the way for the Nittany Lions with 18 points in 24 minutes of action, Drexel transfer Camren Wynter gave Penn State fans a showcase of his scoring prowess. The three-time All-CAA guard finished the night a stellar 7-for-9, including three hits from beyond the arc.
In the process, Wynter also joined the 1,500/500/500 club, joining teammate Jalen Pickett as one of the few active Division I players to achieve such a mark.
“It feels pretty cool,” Wynter said. “Just knowing that there’s only three of us, and two are in the same locker room. It just goes to show the versatility that we both have.”
Despite being a new face in the program, it’s no surprise that Wynter has been a high-minute contributor in the Nittany Lions’ starting lineup through the first two outings of the season. However, another pair of newbies also turned some heads on Thursday – a little sooner than expected.
Freshmen Kebba Njie and Kanye Clary both enjoyed a true coming out party against Loyola, earning some valuable second-half minutes in an effort to close things out.
Clary’s dynamic playstyle was put on full display in his 10 minutes on the floor, tallying seven points as a primary ball handler. The Virginia native played loose and in-control during his first true opportunity commanding the offense.
Njie tripled his scoring output from his collegiate debut on Tuesday, racking up 12 points on the night on 4-of-5 shooting. The second-highest ranked signee in school history also recorded his first collegiate dunk on a monstrous second-half jam, sending an eruption of cheers throughout the BJC.
The two freshmen showed signs of early chemistry during their time together on the floor, utilizing their elite combination of size and speed in high pick-and-roll action.
“Our freshmen, they have basketball IQs.” Shrewsberry said. “It just makes the game so much easier.”
Newcomers Evan Mahaffey and Mikey Henn also made the most of their minutes off the bench, combining for seven points on a perfect 3-for-3 mark from the field.
Mahaffey, the consensus No. 3 prospect in the state of Ohio, established a large presence in the paint in the late stages of the game off the bench. The freshman guard-forward hybrid collected a couple of buckets in the final minutes, helping the blue and white break the 90-point mark for a second consecutive contest.
As a graduate transfer, Henn has been as efficient as could be in his six minutes of play this season, knocking down a three in each of the first two matchups. Making a cross-country journey from Denver to Happy Valley, the 6-foot-8 forward has already begun to prove his worth as another valuable plug-in piece for the Nittany Lions.
From top to bottom, Penn State’s shiny new pieces are quickly showing reason for excitement in year two of Shrewsberry’s tenure as head coach.
“These guys are playing really hard at both ends of the floor, and we’re getting contributions from a lot of different guys,” Shrewsberry said.
Grant Sheets is a sophomore majoring in public relations. To contact him, please email gcs5231@psu.edu
